King Arthur: Legend of the Sword: Review

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is directed by Guy Ritchie and stars Jude Law and Charlie Hunnam as Arthur - plus a much heralded cameo from David Beckham. One day Arthur pulls the sword from the stone and must continue his father's legacy, whist a power hungry uncle gains supremacy over his kingdom.

Certain styles of film work in most cases: see Matthew Vaughn's 'Kingsman' and Wachowski Brother's 'The Matrix'. In this latest Ritchie romp we see his iconic style forced into the moody middle ages. It worked for British Gangsters, it worked for 60's spies - heck - it even worked for the most famous detective in history. However, Ritchie's style forced all over a period piece fantasy creates a truly insufferable experience.

Don't go in with any expectations, just prepare for a Batman V Superman level of disappointment. Go in taking it with a pinch of salt and you might come out with something. Ritchie brings to the table - no pun intended - an uneven mix between contemporary and past. It's not so much the visuals or the action sequences but the utter disregard for the Arthurian legend. Not even as much as a nod - or a sword swish if you will - is taken to the magical world of Camelot.

Hunnam offers many things as our primitive hero - weak acting, arrogance and above all a very dodgy accent. He shouldn't take the full brunt however, as he doesn't have much script to work with. King Arthur is written with about as much talent as a performing monkey; it's pure cheese, ridiculousness and thoughtlessness. The main gripe that aside from its many faults it still isn't enjoyable. Though it doesn't take itself too seriously it doesn't have enough charm or tongue in cheek style for the audiences to have fun.

In the end King Arthur is a clumsy cluster of the odd impressive action scene and Guy Ritchie's usual masterful film craft. It combines cheap script writing and less than mediocre acting into one giant romp, that is hard to even enjoy. Its scrappy editing, thin plot and forgettable execution, King Arthur embarrasses not only itself but the once remarkable Arthurian legend it has used as inspiration

I am going to give King Arthur: Legend of the Sword:

4.2/10